Christian Thomas

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward captured the bronze medal as part of the Canadian men’s ice hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Canada defeated the Czech Republic, 6-4, on Saturday to claim the medal, with former Penguins forward Andrew Ebbett (2013-15) picking up a pair of goals in the game.

Thomas appeared in all six of the Canadians’ contests, recording two points (1+1) and a plus-3 rating. He tallied his goal in a 4-0 win over the Republic of Korea in group play.

In his first season with the Penguins, Thomas has recorded 21 points (12+9) in 30 AHL games this season. The 25-year old from Toronto, Ontario has 177 career points (88+89) in 314 AHL contests with six teams.

The Penguins next home game is this Sunday, February 25, when they host the Hershey Bears at 3:05pm. It’s another Kids Free Sunday, with fans ages 14 and younger able to get into the game for FREE with a paid adult ticket.

Get your tickets for Sunday by calling the Penguins at 570-208-7367.

FAN FRIDAY INFO

Would you like more info on tickets for any of our upcoming FAN FRIDAY games? Simply fill in your contact info below, and a Penguins ticket representative will contact you within 48 hours.

Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Tomas Surovy has been named to the roster for Team Slovakia at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

A fourth round selection in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Surovy spent parts of five seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (2001-06), appearing in 239 regular season games with the club. The left wing currently ranks second on the Penguins’ all-time lists in goals (89) and points (187); is tied for second in game-winning goals (14); and is fourth in power play goals (27).

Surovy appeared in 126 gams with the Pittsburgh Penguins between 2002-2006, posting 59 points (27+32) and 71 penalty minutes. He has been playing professionally in Europe since the start of the 2006-07 season, and currently suits up for his hometown team, Banská Bystrica HC 05, in the Slovakian Extraleague.

Surovy has previously represented Slovakia at the 2006 Turin and 2014 Sochi Games, recording two points (1+1) in 10 Olympic contests. He is the seventh former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins skater to be named to his national team for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins extended their season-best winning streak to eight games by virtue of a 4-1 triumph over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (24-10-2-1) forged a new first line of Zach Aston-Reese, Gage Quinney and Ryan Haggerty for the rivalry match-up with Lehigh Valley. The move paid immediate dividends as all three players found the scoresheet, combining for six points, and Haggerty assumed the team lead with 29 points on the season.

Lehigh Valley struck first, using a power play goal from Philippe Myers to take a 1-0 lead at 15:11 of the opening frame.

The Phantoms appeared poised to build on their lead with a raucous start to the second period. However, the Penguins survived those tense moments and calmed things down by scoring at 5:32. Quinney was the goal-scorer for the Penguins, after being set-up by his new linemates, Aston-Reese and Haggerty.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton quickly grabbed a 3-1 lead with tallies from Christian Thomas and Teddy Blueger, separated by 3:25 of game play in the second stanza.

Lehigh Valley pressed hard early in the third period, but Anthony Peters would not yield, denying the Phantoms on 10 shots faced in the final frame of regulation. Desperate to solve Peters and cut into the Penguins’ two-goal lead, Phantoms coach Scott Gordon pulled his goalie for an extra attacker with 5:31 left in the game. The gamble didn’t pay off, as Aston-Reese completed a three-point night with an empty net goal 30 seconds later.

Peters finished the night with 22 saves, winning his sixth-consecutive game in net for the Penguins. Dustin Tokarski was handed the loss, making 24 stops on 27 shots faced.

The Penguins’ next game is Friday, Jan. 19, as they travel to Dunkin’ Donuts Center for the first time this season for a date with the Providence Bruins. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is Saturday, Jan. 27 against the Binghamton Devils. Puck drop between the Penguins and Devils is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

FAN FRIDAY INFO

Would you like more info on tickets for any of our upcoming FAN FRIDAY games? Simply fill in your contact info below, and a Penguins ticket representative will contact you within 48 hours.

Friday, Jan. 12 – PENGUINS 6 at Belleville 2
Ryan Haggerty kicked off the Penguins’ Fathers’ Trip with a bang, scoring his first pro hat trick and setting a new career high with 16 goals this season with his dad, Roger, in attendance. The Penguins also saw Christian Thomas find the back of the net for the fourth-straight game, and Jean-Sébastien Dea added an empty netter to seal the Pens’ sixth win in a row.

Saturday, Jan. 13 – PENGUINS 4 at Laval 3
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was powered to its seventh win in a row once again on the back of a hat trick. This time, it was D-man Andrey Pedan tallying three times for his first career hatty. The Penguins surrendered early period goals twice to the Rocket, but responded in less than three minutes both times. The Penguins also got their special teams going with two power play goals from Pedan, including the game-winner.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, Jan. 17 – PENGUINS vs. Lehigh Valley
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season-best seven-game win streak began after back-to-back losses to Lehigh Valley on Dec. 23 and 27. The Penguins look to avenge those defeats to keep their current streak alive. The Phantoms lead the season series with a 4-2-0-1 record against the Penguins in seven meetings.

Friday, Jan. 19 – PENGUINS at Providence
The Penguins visit the Bruins for the first time this season. In these two clubs’ only match-up this season, Providence came to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 11 and were met with a 4-3 overtime loss on a Ryan Haggerty snipe.

Sunday, Jan. 21- PENGUINS at Hartford
In three games between the Penguins and Wolf Pack this season, the home team has won every time. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hopes to end that streak at XL Center in a 5:00 p.m. showdown.

Ice Chips

– Christian Thomas was named to Canada’s men’s hockey roster for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games on Thursday.

BELLEVILLE, Ont. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins achieved their sixth win in a row thanks to a big night from Ryan Haggerty in a 6-2 defeat of the Belleville Senators on Friday night at Yardmen Arena.

Haggerty notched the first hat trick of his professional career as part of a four-point night while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-10-2-1) tied its longest winning streak of the season.

Haggerty got the scoring started for the Penguins just 5:04 into the first period when he rushed into the Senators’ zone and ripped a shot by Marcus Högberg from the top of the right circle.

Belleville’s Colin White scored just before the midpoint of the first period on a wrap-around pass from Max McCormick that set-up White for the slam dunk at the far-side post.

The Penguins regained the lead, 2-1, at 3:38 of the second period as Haggerty grabbed his second goal of the night. One minute and 45 seconds later, newly named Olympian Christian Thomas continued his hot streak against the Senators, finding the back of the net to earn his fourth point (3G-1A) in the two-game series.

Thomas’ goal prompted Senators coach Kurt Kleinendorst to pull Högberg and replace him with back-up goalie Danny Taylor. Taylor’s presence calmed the Senators, as he stopped all eight shots he faced in the second period and watched on as his team capitalized on a power play late in the frame. White’s second goal of the night cut Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lead to 3-2 at 16:48 of the second period.

Haggerty completed the hat trick with another wicked shot that he fired from the high slot and beat Taylor for the first time of the night at 5:12 of the third period. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton extended its lead to 5-2 on a power play goal put in at an impossible angle by Garrett Wilson at 14:17 of the final frame of regulation.

Jean-Sébastien Dea sealed the victory with an empty netter with 2:50 remaining in the game, giving the Penguins 12 goals in their two-game season series against the Senators.

Anthony Peters stonewalled the Senators on 19 of the 21 shots faced to win his fourth-straight start. Högberg was dealt the loss, stopping making 10 saves and allowing three goals, while Taylor recorded 16 saves in relief.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Jan. 13, when they travel to the province of Québec for the first and only time this season to face the Laval Rocket. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is Wednesday, Jan. 17 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Puck drop between the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Christian Thomas has been announced by Hockey Canada as part of Canada’s roster for the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics.

The Toronto, Ontario native has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 23 games with the Penguins this season. Thomas has also represented Canada twice on the international stage twice in the last two months, participating in the Karjala Cup in November and emerging victorious at the Spengler Cup in December.

“It’s a dream come true,” Thomas said. “You never believe growing up that you’ll have the chance or an opportunity to play in an Olympics. It’s just a great opportunity.”

A second-round pick by the New York Rangers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Thomas has played in 334 professional games, including 27 in the NHL as a member of the Rangers and Montréal Canadiens. The 25-year-old forward has 173 points (85G-88A) in 307 career AHL games.

The preliminary round of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea begins on Saturday, Feb. 10. Thomas and the rest of Team Canada will play their first game on Sunday, Feb. 11 against Russia, then proceed to face-off against the likes of the Czech Republic, Finland, Switzerland and the United States in the group stage. The gold medal game for men’s hockey at this year’s Olympics will be held on Sunday, Feb. 25.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 12, as they travel north of the border to Thomas’ home country to take on the Belleville Senators. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is Wednesday, Jan. 17 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Puck drop between the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

FAN FRIDAY INFO

Would you like more info on tickets for any of our upcoming FAN FRIDAY games? Simply fill in your contact info below, and a Penguins ticket representative will contact you within 48 hours.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won their fifth game in a row with a commanding 6-0 shutout of the Belleville Senators on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (21-10-2-1) saw two-goal nights from Christian Thomas and Jean-Sébastien Dea as well as an all-star effort from Atlantic Division All-Star selection Casey DeSmith, who earned his second shutout of the season.

Thomas rocketed home the first goal of the game by unloading a wicked wrist shot that went up

and over Belleville goalie Chris Driedger at 7:47 of the first period. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored again less than two minutes later with a bid from Zach Trotman that navigated through a crowd in front of the net to give the Penguins a 2-0 advantage.

The goaltenders took over, trading save after save, until 16:22 of the second period when Thomas set up Dea with a nifty pass, extending the Penguins’ lead to 3-0.

The floodgates opened in the third period, with the Penguins able to double their score in the final frame of regulation. At 6:25 into the third period, Dea notched his second of the night when he banked a shot from behind the goal line off of Driedger’s back and into the net. Ethan Prow got in on the scoring with his first of the year at 13:40.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tallied goal number six on the night as Thomas swooped in from the side boards into the slot and beat Driedger blocker-side at 16:53 of the third. This was Thomas’ third goal since returning to the Penguins after capturing the Spengler Cup as a member of Team Canada on Dec. 31.

DeSmith stopped all 24 shots sent his way by the Senators, while Driedger was only able to deny 30 of 36 Penguin chances.

The Penguins’ next game is once again against the Senators, when they travel north of the border to Belleville on Friday, Jan. 12. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is Wednesday, Jan. 17 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Puck drop between the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins continued their recent roll by earning their fourth win in a row in a 4-2 defeat of the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (20-10-2-1) used three tallies in the third period to take down Springfield, which had come into Friday’s contest having earned points in five of its last six games.

The Penguins scored the game’s first goal at 3:12 of the second period when Chris Summers’ point shot was redirected by Adam Johnson right to Greg McKegg, who put it into the Thunderbirds’ net.

Both teams were held at bay by excellent goaltending from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Casey DeSmith and Springfield’s Samuel Montembeault until Mark Fayne tied things up, 1-1, 1:03 into the third period.

Christian Thomas picked the top corner over Montembeault’s glove at 4:02 of the final frame of regulation, putting the Penguins back on top, 2-1.

Ryan Haggerty gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton some breathing room with a goal at 13:09 of the third period, only to see Springfield’s Dryden Hunt strike back 21 seconds later.

With the score sitting at 3-2 in favor of the Penguins, the Thunderbirds pulled their goalie with 1:26 left in regulation. Despite the advantage of an extra attacker, they were never able to truly test DeSmith before the sound of the final buzzer, and Johnson sealed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s victory with an empty net tally when only one second was left in the game.

DeSmith finished the game with 20 saves, while Montembeault recorded 19 stops for the Thunderbirds.

The Penguins’ next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 6, as the Belleville Senators make their first ever visit to Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Puck drop between the Penguins and Senators is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.

FAN FRIDAY INFO

Would you like more info on tickets for any of our upcoming FAN FRIDAY games? Simply fill in your contact info below, and a Penguins ticket representative will contact you within 48 hours.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (18-10-2-1) to play three home games in four days

Weekly Rewind

Wednesday, Dec. 27 – PENGUINS 4 vs. Lehigh Valley 5
Every member of the Penguins’ line of Garrett Wilson (1G-1A), Gage Quinney (1G-1A) and Daniel Sprong (0G-2A) turned in two-point nights in a wild and wacky back-and-forth game with the Phantoms. J.S. Dea had an assist for the third-straight game.

Friday, Dec. 29 – PENGUINS 5 vs. Hartford 1
Daniel Sprong led the way for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, collecting his second career hat trick and second career four-point outing. Anthony Peters recorded 27 saves for his first AHL win since Mar. 27, 2015.

Saturday, Dec. 30 – PENGUINS 2 at Hershey 1 (OT)
The I-81 Rivalry delivered another excellent installment with this tightly contested affair ending in Dominik Simon’s overtime game-winner on the same day he was reassigned by Pittsburgh. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton improved to 9-2-1-1 in its last 13 visits to Giant Center with the win.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, Jan. 3 – PENGUINS vs. Bridgeport
The Penguins will try and put more distance between them and the team directly behind them in the Atlantic Division standings. This will be Bridgeport’s first trip to Northeast PA this season. The season series is tied at one win apiece.

Friday, Jan. 5 – PENGUINS vs. Springfield
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rallied for a 6-3 comeback victory in the only meeting of the season between these two clubs. Springfield has dropped three-straight decisions at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Saturday, Jan. 6 – PENGUINS vs. Belleville
Saturday marks the first ever match-up between the Penguins and Belleville Senators. Despite being sixth in the North Division, Belleville is 5-2-0-1 against the Atlantic so far.

Ice Chips

– Penguins forward Christian Thomas captured the Spengler Cup as a member of Team Canada on Sunday. Canada has now won the tournament three years in a row.

– Kevin Czuczman has an assist on four of the Penguins five overtime game-winning goals this season.

– Since being signed to a second PTO by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, goalie Anthony Peters has only allowed two goals in 122:43.

– Colin Smith played in his 300th AHL game on Friday, and Jarred Tinordi played in his 300th professional game on Saturday.

– The Penguins have a 7-3 record in games that have gone beyond regulation (overtime or shootout) this season.

The 91st incarnation of the Spengler Cup will feature four European club teams – HC Davos (Switzerland), Dinamo Riga (Latvia), HPK Hameenlinna (Finland) and Mountfield HK (Czech Republic) – as well as international teams from Switzerland and Canada. The tournament takes place between Dec. 26-31 in Davos.

“It’s exciting, and I’m excited to go there,” Thomas said. “Unfortunately I have to miss some games here. The team in Pittsburgh and here in Wilkes-Barre have been awesome in letting me play in the tournaments.”

Canada is using this year’s tournament as a final opportunity to take a look at potential players for their Olympic team. While the Winter Olympics have featured National Hockey League players suiting up for their home countries since 1998, this year’s tournament will not feature skaters from the world’s top league, due to an impasse between the NHL and the International Olympic Committee.

However, players participating in European leagues are eligible to participate in the Olympics, as are North American collegiate skaters, and those signed to American Hockey League only contracts. Thomas falls into that latter set.

The Penguins forward suited up for Team Canada earlier this year at the Karjala Cup tournament, which was held in Sweden, Switzerland and Finland. Thomas potted one goal in three games during the competition.

The Spengler Cup will give him one more chance to show off his skill in an effort to earn a spot on Team Canada when it heads to South Korea in February.

“It’s really cool. I’m excited to go out there and show them the way I can play, and work hard,” he said. “Hopefully that’s enough to earn me a spot.”

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Dec. 22 against the Binghamton Devils at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Puck drop for the first meeting of the season between the Penguins and Devils is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Individual tickets for all Penguins home games are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza box office, online at TicketMaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.

Season ticket packages for the 19th season of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey, including 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.